21st Pictoplasma Festival
Pictoplasma reexamines the myth of originality, exploring the genealogies of character creation amidst the rise of generative AI and shifting cultural codes.
Pictoplasma returns to Berlin with a stellar line up of artists, illustrators, filmmakers and designers looking to the future and reimagining the visual culture. This year, the world's leading conference on contemporary character design and art dives deep into the genealogies of character creation, peeling back multiple layers of influences, trends and contexts. It flips the script on the myth of 'the original', often touted as an artist’s singular autograph and guided by an inherent genius or talent, and asks instead: to what extent are our creations our own, and how do we even determine the dimensions of originality, or indeed, imagination?
This question is ever more urgent. On one hand, the rise of generative AI, which builds on enormous data sets of existing imagery, shifts image creation to a search operation for a gap in the field of images, generating reconfigurations that sometimes are dreamlike and nostalgic echoes of ‘original material’, other times created in a distinct style as artists feed the tech with own sources. And on the other hand, cultural hegemonies are fading, which challenges established conventions of character design as a universal visual language. While the world grows more multipolar, the long-standing dominance of Western pop culture iconography, the influence of Japanese Kawaii, or kitschy, exoticised portrayals of other cultures are all being questioned and reconsidered. Will we see a new era of multiple visual representation, or simply witness another wave of pictorial hegemonies and stereotypes?
International Conference on Character Design and Art // 1 to 3 May
The conference is dedicated to exploring these questions and offers a comprehensive program featuring lectures and presentations, panel discussions, animation screenings, and workshops, as well as a wide range of networking events for producers and creatives. For international participants, the event provides a unique opportunity to exchange ideas across genre boundaries about trends and possibilities in character design.
All talks will also be streamed live to Pictoplasma’s global audience. In addition, participants will have access to the growing video archive, which currently features over 300 lectures by pioneering artists from around the world.
Thursday, 1 – Saturday, May 3
Betonhalle, Kuppelhalle, Ateliers
daily 10 am–10 pm
Registration for the conference in Berlin and the livestream is available via pictoplasma.com/tickets.
Night Programme // May 2 – Psychedelic Midnight Mix
A beloved highlight every year: the dreamlike and trippy Psychedelic Midnight Mix! On the big screen of the Colosseum—one of Berlin’s most iconic cinemas—new films by Peter Millard, Jan Bitzer, Jack Cunningham, and Nicolas Ménard transport audiences into a liminal realm between realities. The curated selection challenges both the mind and the conventions of storytelling. Before the screening, filmmakers are celebrated with drinks in the legendary cinema lobby.
Colosseum
Gleimstraße 32-35, 10437 Berlin
May 2, 10 pm –0:30 am // 10€, available only at the box office
Sunday Open House // May 4
To conclude the festival, Pictoplasma invites everyone to the Public Day. A vibrant design market offers the chance to stock up on rare prints, editions, zines, sculptures, and other lovingly crafted objects from around the world—and to meet their international creators in person. The festival’s animation program, featuring over 90 short films, music videos, and experimental clips across 7 curated screenings, will be replayed in full—a true visual marathon.
An exhibition showcases the work of this year’s conference artists, including vases by Jimmy D. Lanza, sculptures by Saddo and Jonathan Djob-Nkondo, and paintings by Jill Senft. Workshops invite visitors of all ages to come together and get creative.
Sunday, May 4
Betonhalle, Kuppelhalle, Atelier 2
1 pm–7 pm
Admission free